Cox's Bazar Correspondent 

The Arakan Army has released four Rohingyas who were held hostage after crossing the Naf River from Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar into Myanmar to bring in a consignment of drugs.

According to local authorities, the four individuals returned to the Jadimura Rohingya Camp in Teknaf's Hnila area around 5:00 PM on Friday.Earlier, on Thursday morning, the four were reportedly held hostage by the Arakan Army on a char (river islet) named Laldia, adjacent to Damdamia in Teknaf’s Hnila Union.The four individuals have been identified as Arafat Ullah (21), Anis Ullah (22), Md. Jaber (14), and Anwar Sadek (27) — all residents of Jadimura Rohingya Camp No. 27 in Teknaf.Khanjada Shahriar Bin Mannan, Assistant Officer at the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner and In-Charge of Camp No. 27, confirmed that the four Rohingya refugees returned to the camp under official supervision around 5:00 PM on Friday.Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman, Commanding Officer of the Teknaf-2 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Battalion, said that BGB had maintained continuous communication with the Arakan Army since the incident, ultimately compelling them to release the captives. Upon their return, the four were placed under the care of the camp authorities.Earlier, Hnila Union's Acting Chairman Mohammad Ali stated that while it’s true that the Arakan Army occasionally detains Bangladeshi fishermen from the Naf River, the four in question were not fishermen. He claimed that they regularly cross into Myanmar for drug trafficking, particularly yaba tablets. The char called Laldia, where the incident occurred, is within Myanmar's territory and is not a fishing ground for local fishermen. According to multiple sources, these four were held while attempting to smuggle drugs, though certain parties are now misrepresenting the incident for strategic reasons.However, Mohammad Nur, a local leader (Majhi) from the Jadimura Rohingya Camp, had earlier claimed that the four were abducted at gunpoint by Arakan Army members while fishing in the Naf River, causing several other fishermen to flee.